Boss, Flynn Rely On Patience In All-American Careers

by Caleb Garner, Graduate Assistant/Communications

It is often said that patience is a virtue.

That old adage rings true for Mississippi State track and field's three-time All-Americans Logan Boss and Tiffany Flynn, who say that patience has been crucial to their success throughout their college careers.

"When I got here my freshman year, I had done really well in high school and kind of expected to just continue on that path of success in the same speed that I had done it in high school," Boss said. "My freshman year was kind of a reverse of that, instead of a progress forward. So, it took a lot of patience and understanding, but also a lot of trusting Coach [Steve] Thomas—that he knew what he was doing, and I wasn't actually digressing in my growth as an athlete, I was just adjusting."

For the Ellenwood, Georgia, native Flynn, that patience also comes in the form of resilience when things do not go as originally planned. Flynn owns school records in the triple jump both indoors (13.53m) and outdoors (13.47m), while also being part of the school record-holding outdoor shuttle hurdle relay team (53.82).

"The thing that I've learned the most is to be patient, because things don't always work out exactly how you want them to," Flynn said. "I may make plans for something to happen, but stuff might happen that could delay my plans. Just being patient and to not give up when things are going wrong, so patience is the most important thing that I've learned during my college career at Mississippi State."

Boss owns school records in the high jump both indoors (1.92m) and outdoors (1.89m) and continues to set her sights even higher. The O'Brien, Florida, native aspires to jump 1.94m (6-4.25), which is the mark needed to qualify for the IAAF World Championships.

That goal was set a year ago, and a little patience has been needed in order to reach it, as that aim is carrying over into this season. A big part of that, Boss says, is trusting the process jumps coach Steve Thomas sets for her.

"I've learned to be patient with him and trust him to get me to where he knows I can be," Boss said. "I have to trust him, not only in my practice, but trust that he knows what I'm capable of before I do. Every year, we set goals, and every year when we do that, I think they're unattainable. Then, by the time the end of the spring rolls around, we've accomplished them. I've just learned to just sit back and go through his process and just trust it and follow it through."

Both Boss and Flynn will compete in their final seasons as Bulldogs beginning with the Al Schmidt Bulldog Relays in March to open the outdoor season, but Flynn is eager to see how the entire year shakes out for her and her teammates.

"I'm just excited about the year," Flynn said. "We have some very talented athletes, so I'm just excited to see everything unfold and how hard we push each other to get better."

For more information on the Mississippi State track and field team, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateTF" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Boss, Flynn Rely On Patience In All-American Careers

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